Across the Americas, governments on occasion have negotiated – often unofficially – with various kinds of criminal organizations in an effort to reduce violence and improve citizen security. In this event, regional experts examined these efforts in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

During the final fifteen years of the Cold War, southern Africa underwent a period of upheaval, with dramatic twists and turns in relations between the superpowers. Americans, Cubans, Soviets, and Africans fought over the future of Angola, where tens of thousands of Cuban soldiers were stationed, and over the decolonization of Namibia, Africa's last colony. Beyond lay the great prize: South Africa.

In 1969, Nelson Rockefeller embarked on four ill-fated diplomatic tours of Latin America that inspired violent clashes between the state and the street. Contemporary observers and subsequent scholars have dismissed Gov. Rockefeller's goodwill effort as an unmitigated failure. In this talk, Ernesto Capello explores recently released documents, including selections from the thousands of solicitations sent to Rockefeller by ordinary citizens, which demonstrate the need to reevaluate Rockefeller's Presidential Mission as a critical moment in the way Cold War Latin America imagined its neighbors to the north.

On July 23, 2013, speakers will present the main findings of the Global Development Horizons report, which explores patterns of investment, saving and capital flows as they are likely to evolve over the course of the next two decades. Experts from the Wilson Center will discuss how these economic patterns will affect various developing countries and regions.

Why are some Latin American countries facing much more moderate levels of crime and violence than their neighbors? A group of experts from across the region analyze the security situation in the diverse countries of Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.